When is it right to leave a church?

Monday, January 3, 2011

I’ve seen people come and go from churches for all kinds of reason. Most of the time when people leave a church it has more to do with personal preference than it does with a clear biblical directive or “God’s will.” Yet it’s funny how people can sprinkle a little “Jesus dust” on their circumstances or preferences, pull single verse out of context, or poorly apply the Scriptures and turn things that are nonessential into “God’s will.” As if God really has a favorite style of music, teaching style, cares about the times of the services, the color of the carpet, or what the preacher is wearing (as long as it’s not a Speedo). If it’s not a personal preference that’s driving the exodus then it’s usually driven by relationship. Some close friends move away, leave the church, or perhaps their favorite Staff Member moves on and is no longer at the church.

While people leave churches for all kinds of reasons, I believe there are two great reasons to leave a church, but neither should be arrived at lightly.

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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8 Core competencies of Family Ministries

Monday, December 20, 2010

What does a comprehensive and holistic approach to developing students from birth through late adolescence and the families that influence these students mean to the infrastructure and ministry of the Next Generation Team?

Posted in Family, Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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8 Questions to ask yourself about family ministry

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Getting to the right answers means first starting with the right questions. In fact some of the best questions are both diagnostic and visional at the same time. Below are eight questions about Family Ministry that should help you in evaluating your Church or ministry environment and determine if it’s right for you to chase after a Family Ministry approach.

Posted in Family, Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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your personal growth plan won’t make you grow

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Growth doesn’t just automatically happen. In order for a person or an organization to grow, the right stuff has to be consistently cultivated over a period of time. Even then, growth isn’t guaranteed. Reading a book, taking a class, going to a conference, listening to a sermon, spending time with a personal coach or mentor over a cup of coffee, or even reading the Bible doesn’t mandate growth. I mean how many people do you know who know the Scriptures, but aren’t growing and year in and year out never seem to end up looking much more like Jesus? How many people do you know who have a lot of content jammed into them but can’t translate all of that information into real life? Just because you have and follow a personal development plan that exposes you to the right content doesn’t mean you’re going to grow. Content alone doesn’t foster growth. So what does? The list may not be exhaustive, but if you can figure out how to couple the following list along with great content I think you and the organization that you lead in will be well on your way to growth.

Posted in Leadership, Spiritual Formation

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building a personal development plan

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Success never just happens. It may show up in a moment but it takes a series of moments to cultivate. It’s like the marriage that falls apart. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone say, “My marriage fell apart last night.” My response? No it didn’t. It may have shown up last night but you’ve been working at wrecking that marriage for a long time. In light of that principle, this is a time of year that I try to do some reflection and evaluation on what I’m cultivating in my life, how it’s affecting people around me, and where what I’m cultivating is leading me. Some of this stuff comes natural to me, some of it has been formed into me through painful experiences, and some has come through coaches speaking into my life. It’s not exhaustive or infallible, and I hope that it improves over time, but it’s a process that works for me. Here is a list of categories that I use to evaluate…

Posted in Leadership